I just returned from my very first Wine Bloggers Conference 2012 held in Portland,Oregon. Over 350 bloggers attended and I could not think of a better way to meet some of the most amazing new friends I now have! These ARE my people!
Before the conference began in Portland,we were barely off the plane before we were whisked off to some of the most amazing regions in the USA, The Oregon Wine Country!
The countryside has amazing natural beauty with its flowing rivers and tall,lush trees.The wine flows freely here. This is where you will find overflowing wine bottles of Pinot Noir,Pinot Gris as well as Chardonnay, Merlot,Riesling and Sangiovese to name a few.
A little over a hour’s ride from Portland is the pristine and rustic town of Hood River.One of our first winery stops was at The Springhouse Cellar and Winery located in the Columbia Gorge where the Hood River enters the Columbia river which flows through the Cascade Mountain Range.
The natural beauty is almost overwhelming! On my next visit, I will be sure to take the Mount Hood Railroad Excursion to take in even more of the landscape.
Nestled near the gorge,is Springhouse Cellar and Winery which features 10 single-vineyard luscious Northwest wines.
We heard that we would really enjoy the wines at Springhouse and the rumor was true!
If you have time to stop at only one winery in this region, Springhouse Cellars is the one! This one time cannery turned winery features a comfortable and rustic ambience and the wine is delicious. I attribute the quality of these fabulous wines to the perfectly grown and harvested Northwest varietals expertly crafted into these unforgettable local wines by the owner and winemaker Carey Kienitz. Check his blog Winermaker Rant for the latest information and his thoughts on the wines.
Look closely. These bottles are refillable. That’s right! Local restaurants and locals make use of 1 liter REFILLABLE BOTTLES called “growliers.” Look at the lid, its like the resealable Grolsch Beer bottles. You drink it, rinse it out and bring it back for a refill of these local wines. As they mention on their website: Sustainable packaging,glass bottle waste reduction which helps maintain the natural beauty of this area.
How creative was this idea! And it works so well. The restaurants in the area bring their bottles in regularly to refill to serve in their restaurants and locals can do the same.
We enjoyed sampling the wines and the Carey,the winemaker,was very passionate about his winery and shared a lot of great information about the winery and the wines.
The Syrah and Petit Syrah wines were balanced between fresh lush fruit and acidity. We sampled the soon to be released traditionally Italian varietal Sangiovese,which was a crowd pleaser with our group.
Carey and I are posing for a picture among “The Ruins.” This is where the cannery used to be,which is now used for events. Check out the website for all the information about this winery Springhouse Cellars in Hood River,Oregon.
I love that Springhouse Cellar 2009 Syrah! I wish I had bought a case when we were there!